Economic Commentary

ECONOMY AND POLICY October 01, 2021   Chief Economist Scott Brown discusses the latest market data. Equities oscillated on several factors, including worries about China and developments in Washington. Lawmakers reached an agreement to avoid a government shutdown for the time being, extending borrowing authority through December 3. There was no agreement on infrastructure spending […]

ECONOMY AND POLICY October 01, 2021   Chief Economist Scott Brown discusses current economic conditions. The monthly report on personal income and spending generally doesn’t get a lot of attention from financial market participants. The employment report, released weeks earlier, gives us a good idea of income. The retail sales report points the way on […]

ECONOMY AND POLICY September 24, 2021   Chief Economist Scott Brown discusses current economic conditions. There were no major surprises from the Fed policy meeting. The Federal Open Market Committee signaled that tapering would likely be announced in November, while Chair Powell indicated that it would likely come to an end around the middle of […]

ECONOMY AND POLICY September 24, 2021   Chief Economist Scott Brown discusses the latest market data. There were no major surprises from the Fed policy meeting. Bond yields moved higher, but the mood among stock market participants seemed to brighten relative to the previous week. The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) left short-term interest rates […]